Who's the little brother here?
by Carol3059
Summary: Sam meets a completely different version of Dean when he wakes up in the morning. Just a weird little story I wanted to write.


Note: This is just a weird little story that I wanted to write. There's no spoilers in this story except for the pilot, so it could be set anytime but I was thinking about some time in the first season after Sam and Dean bond but before Dean gets all dark and angsty. 

Don't own anything.

Dean rolled over on his back and blinked himself awake. He didn't really pay attention to the motel room around him as he levered himself out of the tiny bed and headed for the bathroom.

Still half asleep, he used the toilet and stumbled back into the main room. He felt a little strange for some reason. He rubbed his eyes a little, wondering what time it was. He felt a little relief when he realized he hadn't had any nightmares that night. Or at least, none that he could remember.

When he opened his eyes fully, he froze. He was in a motel, but not the one that he remembered falling asleep in last night. He looked over at the other bed. Sam was sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep.

Dean frowned. What the hell was going on? He was pretty sure, that, even if he had been a little out of for the past few months, he still would have noticed them changing motel rooms.

When he looked around the room, though, he found their bags. He pulled out his and frowned. These weren't his clothes. Well, they were the type of clothes he wore, but they still weren't his.

That's when he looked down at himself, and the reason why he'd been feeling weird came to him. He ran back into the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror, staring at himself.

Okay, now he was really freaking out. Dean hesitated for only a second before he ran strait back into the other room and over to Sam's bed.

"Sam!" He said, shaking his brothers shoulder. "Sam, wake up!" Sam jerked into a sitting position at Dean's yell. He blinked and looked up at Dean blearily.

"Dean, what's the matter?"

"Are you kidding? Look at me!" Sam rubbed his eyes a little and did look at his brother. He frowned at Dean.

"So, what's the matter?" Dean drew back a little. "Is this a joke, Sam? Because if it is, it's not funny." Sam's frown deepened.

"Look, if there's something wrong, could you just tell me. If not, then could you not scream my name like that to wake me up." Dean stared at his brother. He really didn't see anything wrong. He could see it all over Sam's face. He was telling the truth. Besides, he doubted that Sam would play like nothing was wrong, no matter how on the outs they were. So, instead, Dean just sat back down on his bed and sighed.

"Sorry, man." Sam looked at him a little strangely, but didn't say anything about that. He suggested instead that they go out to get something to eat. Dean simply nodded, and watched his brother for a moment.

Sam looked different, too. It wasn't as stand out as the differences he had seen when he had looked in the mirror, but it was there. The only way that he could describe it was that Sam looked older.

He didn't want to worry Sam, though. His brother had been worried enough lately and there was a little part of Dean that he knew was still slightly angry at Sam for everything that had happened.

So, they got dressed and went out to a diner to get something to eat.

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Sam watched his brother, worried while they sat in the diner. Dean seemed lost in thought. Something was off, he could tell. Sam was surprised that Dean was so quiet. He was even more surprised when Dean didn't hit on the pretty waitress that took their order.

"Alright, what's wrong with you?" Sam asked finally when he couldn't take the silence anymore. He had never seen his brother quiet like this. Dean snapped out of his thoughts and looked over at Sam.

"What do you mean?" Sam stared at him.

"You've been acting weird all day." Dean just shrugged.

"Sorry." Sam sat back, his eyes narrowing. He took his brother in. The way that he had acted when he had first woke up, the way he was acting now. Sam stayed quiet for the remainder of breakfast but he couldn't help but to catalogue everything that Dean did differently.

They were back at the motel when Sam pulled out a gun. He didn't point it at Dean, just in case, but he did keep it in front of himself.

"Who are you?" He asked suddenly. Dean looked over at him from his seat on one of the beds. His eyes widened slightly at the fact that Sam had a gun. Dean considered Sam for a moment, his head cocked to the side. Sam couldn't help but notice how hard Dean's eyes were.

"I could ask you the same question." He said calmly. Sam sat there, shocked for a moment. He hadn't expected that.

"So, your not Dean?" Sam said, lifting the gun a little. The man before him watched him but didn't look particularly afraid.

"Oh, no. I am Dean. And I know your Sam." He grinned a little humorlessly. "Your just not my Sam." Sam stared at him for a few moments, and then he scoffed.

"That's not possible." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Right, like spirits can't possibly be real, like there's no such thing as werewolves or vampires, like having dreams of the future isn't possible." Sam's eyes snapped to his.

"So, what? Your Sam has dreams of the future?" He asked carefully. Dean frowned and stared at Sam.

"No." Dean's frown deepened. "Am I-I mean is he-" Dean gestured to himself, or the body he was occupying at the moment. "He's older, isn't he? I mean, older than you?"

"Four years." Sam said. "Wait, your saying that in your world, your the younger brother?"

"Yep."

"I'm still not so sure about this." Sam said. Dean rolled his eyes again.

"Look, you want me to drink some holy water or something? I'm not lying." He said, looking Sam directly in the eyes. Sam had to admit, either the man was telling the truth or he was an exceptional liar. Plus, it wasn't like he could him if he was in Dean's body. Sam sighed.

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An hour later they found themselves at the library, looking for a way to fix it. Sam was convinced now that Dean was telling the truth, he just didn't understand it. It wasn't that he didn't believe in alternate realities. After everything that had happened he would probably believe anything, he just thought it was weird that their was an alternate reality were he was the older brother and Sam was the younger.

Sam found himself comparing this Dean to the one he had grown up with. He had thought that maybe if Dean were younger, that he might not have been so closed off, but if anything, this Dean was even more closed off. His eyes were harder, more haunted.

This Dean didn't flirt with every woman he crossed paths with. This Dean wasn't as sarcastic, though he still had what Sam had come to believe was Dean's trademark smirk.

"So, your the younger brother, that means it's you with the dreams, right?" Sam asked finally, unable to contain the questions that had been bubbling up in him anymore. Dean looked up at him.

"You too?" He asked instead of answering the question. Sam nodded a little. Dean shrugged a little uncomfortably.

"Did you-" Dean cut himself off, biting his lip. "Did you go to college in this reality, too?" Sam stared at Dean.

"Yes." He said, feeling a little sting of guilt. The other version of him went to college? Sam closed his eyes at what that meant. When he opened them, Dean was staring at him.

"Your not actually feeling guilty for something you didn't actually do, are you." Sam scrubbed his face a little.

"He left you alone with dad? When you were fourteen?" Dean shrugged, but his eyes darkened slightly.

"I was fine. I never really wanted to go to college. Fact is, I always liked this job to much for that." Sam nodded, thinking that in any reality, Dean was like that. Sam sighed and sat back, thinking. He had never really thought about something like this. Why would he? But now he was, and he was thinking about how in another reality he abandoned his brother in a way that Dean never would.

"Cheer up, Sam." Dean said. "It's stupid to dwell on things that you didn't actually do."

"Your angry at him, aren't you?" Sam asked, staring at Dean. Dean rolled his eyes again.

"We're fine." But Sam could see the lie.

---------------

A few hours later, Sam was frustrated, and Dean was restless. Sam was worrying about his Dean. Even though this Dean assured Sam that his Sam would never do anything to hurt him, Sam couldn't help but to worry. What if they never fixed this? They went back to the motel. "I understand why he did it." Dean said abruptly. Sam turned to him. "He even tried to get me to come with him." Sam stared at Dean.

"What?" Dean shrugged again, but looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Sam, he tried to get me to come with him. Said he could file for, like, custody or something. Especially with all the moving around dad did without a reason he could tell anyone." Sam sat down and stared at Dean.

"Dad found out about it and practically disowned him. He left when I said I couldn't. I understand why he did it. He hated this life." Sam chewed his lip in thought. At least the other him had at least tried something to protect Dean.

"He didn't talk to me for years after that, though." Dean sighed and collapsed backwards on the bed.

"Sorry." Dean snorted.

"I told you, you shouldn't feel guilty for something you technically didn't do." Sam sighed and laid back as well.

"Still, I am sorry that you went through all that." Sam said, wondering exactly what all this Dean had gone through.

"Thanks, Sam." He said quietly.

-----------------

Sam woke up and looked around the room blearily. The bathroom door was closed and he could hear the shower running. Sam sat up and rubbed a hand over his face. The bathroom door opened and Dean walked out in a towel. He grinned at Sam on his way to his bag.

"Mornin' Sammy." Dean said. Sam's eyes snapped up to Dean's.

"Dean?" His brother shrugged a little as he got out a change of clothes.

"Guess it was just a twenty four hours thing." Dean said. Sam stared at his brother for a moment.

"Guess so." Sam watched his brother for a moment.

"So, are you going to remember this later?" Sam asked, smiling. Dean frowned at him. "Remember what?"

"The fact that you were the younger brother for twenty four hours." Dean grinned at Sam and headed back towards the bathroom.

"Well, technically, Sammy, I wasn't the younger brother. I'm still the same age." Sam rolled his eyes and Dean's grin grew wider.

"It doesn't matter where we go, Sammy. You'll always be my baby brother." Dean said before ducking into the bathroom and closing the door. Sam sighed and laid back on the bed, thinking that that was okay with him.


End file.
